Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone to the meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputy Munster. If attending in the committee room, which everyone is this morning, or from the precincts of Leinster House, attendees are asked to exercise personal responsibility to protect themselves and others against the risk of contracting Covid-19, which I hear is back again. Members attending remotely must do so from within the precincts of Leinster House. This is due to the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the Parliament.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness to the committee and is accompanied this morning by Mr. John Crean, deputy director of audit at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

We engaged last week with the Health Service Executive to examine, in the context of its 2021 financial statements, mental health-related expenditure in community health organisations, CHOs, 4 and 8. This morning we will examine the HSE's 2021 financial statements in more detail, including expenditure on ambulance services.

We are joined in the committee room by the following officials from the HSE: Mr. Stephen Mulvany, interim chief executive officer; Mr. Damien McCallion, chief operations officer; Ms Mairéad Dolan, chief financial officer; Mr. Robert Morton, director of the National Ambulance Service, NAS; and Professor Cathal O'Donnell, clinical director of the NAS. We are also joined from the Department of Health by Mr. John O'Grady, principal officer, and Mr. Keith Comiskey, principal officer. The witnesses are all welcome. I remind all those in attendance to ensure their mobile phones are on silent mode or switched off.

I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards reference witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. The evidence of witnesses physically present or who give evidence from within the parliamentary precincts is protected, pursuant to both the Constitution and statute, by absolute privilege. However, witnesses are expected not to abuse that privilege and it is my duty as Cathaoirleach to ensure that privilege is not abused. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory to an identifiable person or entity, I may direct witnesses to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such directions.

Members are reminded of the provisions in Standing Order 218 that the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government, or a Minister of the Government, or the merits of the objectives of such policies. Members are also reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, introduced the HSE's 2021 financial statements at last week's meeting. This is on the record and was circulated to members. Before we proceed, I ask the Comptroller and Auditor General if he wishes to add to his opening remarks from last week.